Ukraine refuses to recognize Lukashenko as president of Belarus
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, after additional meetings and consultations, has formed a position in assessing the inauguration and the political status of Alexander Lukashenko, announced on Twitter Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
According to him, Ukraine does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus despite the so-called inauguration in Minsk on September 23. Kyiv has made this decision because of violations during the election campaign and further events in Belarus.
"Ukraine has never interfered in the internal affairs of Belarus in any way and will always support the Belarusian people. Taking into account the course of the election campaign in Belarus and further events, today's "inauguration" of Alexander Lukashenko does not mean his recognition as the legitimate head of the Belarusian state," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said.
Earlier, the European Parliament refused to recognize Lukashenko as the president of Belarus and supported the opposition's calls to hold new elections with the participation of international observers.
On September 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ukraine supports the EU's position regarding the presidential elections in Belarus.
On September 14, the Ukrainian Parliament supported the EU's assessment of the undemocratic nature of the presidential elections in Belarus and the imposition of EU sanctions against those responsible for the falsification of the results of the presidential elections.